Wait for Me
by crazykitsune17
Summary: Yaoi, Kouga x Ginta x Hakkaku angst one shot. On one of their dates, the wolves come across a strange foe... doom befalls them. Please review!


A/N: I did this one about… 2 or 3 weeks ago as part of a deal with a friend of mine. He still hasn't come through with his end… :glares: But anyway, this isn't my best work, but it passes as semi-decent, I suppose. Yes, this is yaoi, Kouga x Ginta x Hakkaku, ummm… 14, I'll say. Not terribly explicit, but not for the young'uns. ;) Please review and try not to flame, though they are accepted. T.T

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Disclaimer: If I owned Inuyasha, our favorite hanyou hero would be re-named "Inupasta". Bring on the ramen!

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**Wait for Us**

by crazykitsune17

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"Kouga! Wait for us!" wheezed Hakkaku as he and his buddy, Ginta, struggled to keep up with their fellow wolf and leader, Kouga.

"Well, hurry up, slowpokes!" joked Kouga, standing a good five-hundred meters ahead of his two wolf friends. "We're already late for our date with the lovely Lady Hot Springs!"

Ginta and Hakkaku laughed, then groaned once they realized their mistake of stopping to offer their chuckles to the wind. Kouga had already whizzed away another good hundred meters in that split second, and now the two wolf boys would have to run even faster and farther in hopes of ever catching up.

Their "date" with the Lady Hot Springs was a clever, overused metaphor – one that Ginta and Hakkaku recognized as Kouga-speak for "Let's screw in the hot springs!" Whenever Kouga and they had a "date" with anybody – or anything, depending on whether Kouga gave it a name or not – it always meant that they were going to "get a little rough and rowdy". And that, of course, was just fine with Ginta and Hakkaku. They had already pledged their allegiance to Kouga in the ways of the wolf pack, vowing not to eat humans; hence, they gave themselves fully to Kouga, not just in loyal mentality but physically as well. As far as they were concerned, Kouga was the only wolf they would be willing to mate with for life. Like they shared everything else, Ginta and Hakkaku would share Kouga.

And Kouga was always nice about it. Kouga never favored one over the other, never gave one wolf more love in one night. He was fair and he was honest and he was loyal – the way a wolf should be.

So Ginta and Hakkaku were not expecting another person to show up on their "date" with the hot springs at all once they finally reached the destination, panting and gulping in large breaths of air.

"Huh? Whozat?" Hakkaku gasped once he had finished sucking in air. He nudged Ginta in the ribs, and the other wolf looked up as well.

Standing directly in front of Kouga was a tall, effeminate demon in white with a colorful sash and stone armor. Cold bronze eyes and a long mane of calf-length silver hair gave away the mysterious demon's character; Ginta and Hakkaku recognized him as Lord Sesshomaru, Inuyasha's older brother.

Simultaneously yelping in surprise, they cowered against each other, holding their shoulders in a frightened shiver. "I-it's L-lord S-Sesshomaru!" they stuttered, still jittering. It was Hakkaku who realized that this couldn't mean anything good – especially nothing good for Kouga!

"Kouga!" he shouted. "Kougaaaa!"

Their leader wasn't listening. He, bullheaded as ever, was facing Sesshomaru dead-on, face smirking and eyes mocking the elegant demon lord in front of him. Sesshomaru, meanwhile, kept his glare locked in focus on Kouga's shimmering blue eyes and his lips in a tight frown. He looked as if he was in no mood for Kouga's jokes or Kouga's games.

"So what brings you here, brother of the mutt?" Kouga sneered, his wolf tail swishing excitedly. _A fight before the foreplay – excellent,_ he thought to himself, cracking his knuckles as a ready-steady for his go-drive. _I'll pound the whiskers outta this mangy poodle then we'll git right on busy under the glassy waters of Lady Hot Springs…_

Sesshomaru continued to frown at Kouga's less-than-respectful tone. He drew his Tokijin, letting it slide out of its scabbard with a loud, sibilating hiss that pierced the moonlight. The sharp side of the blade glinted, blinding Kouga for a split-second with its fancy, lethal edge – an edge just as ostentatious as the man who wielded it.

"Oh-ho, so we're getting swanky now, aren't we, fancy-pants? Hah! I bet _your_ sword is just as worthless as your brother's! It can't hurt me!" And thus, Kouga jumped into the air as Tokijin was swung down violently in the spot where he was just standing and attempted to place a well-aimed kick atop the dog demon's head.

His superior senses igniting, Sesshomaru managed to expertly evade the blow by floating off to one side, jumping lightly into the hot springs and standing atop one of the slippery rocks. He was still balanced on one pointed foot, balancing with ease as if imploring Kouga to come and follow him.

He did. Despite Ginta and Hakkaku's gasped protests and outstretched hands of concern, Kouga leapt onto another rock just off the banks of the hot spring and balanced there himself, slightly unsteady. Sesshomaru beckoned him closer, stepping back one more rock until he and the wolf were situated in the exact center of the gushing stream.

"What's your deal, hot-shot?" Kouga sneered, keeping his arms out for balance as he wobbled. "Did you wanna join in on the feisty, steaming, hot springs games too? 'Cos if you did, you shoulda just asked!"

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed. "Feisty, steaming, hot springs games" were _not_ what he was looking for. Kouga bothered him, plain and simple. He was as crude as Inuyasha, just as tasteless and tactless and obnoxious; therefore, he must be finished. Jaken and Rin were hiding nearby - told not to look for Rin's sake since it might get bloody - expecting a quick fight.

And the fight was quick. One wrong move on Kouga's behalf sent him splashing into the sultry water below, flailing his arms and cursing. Ginta and Hakkaku had half a mind to dive in after him, but Sesshomaru beat them to it. In one mighty swipe, Tokijin unleashed its brutal horrors and tore Kouga limb from limb.

It was all over before the two wolves on the banks could finish dropping their jaws. Pupils reduced to pinpricks, Ginta and Hakkaku could only sink to their knees in shock as they watched the blood of their leader and lover wash away with the lilting current of the Lady Hot Springs. Sesshomaru didn't give them a second glance; only re-sheathed his sword and flew off the rocks, disappearing behind the trees and into the darkness, never to be seen by the wolves again.

A good three minutes passed before the true heinousness of the crime was absorbed by the two shocked wolves. Ginta was the first to leap from his position on the pebble-strewn ground and into the hot springs. Ignoring the sizzling steam against his skin and fur, he crawl-stroked his way to the sliced half-body of his former friend.

Sputtering water and anguish, Ginta carefully caressed Kouga's pallid, lifeless face and screamed, "Kouga! Kouga!", smacking his face until a pink tinge colored his cheeks. But the pinkish tinge showed no sign of life – just injury.

Hakkaku began to howl, crouching low to the ground like a four-legged wolf and emitted a pained screech of horror. Ginta followed, letting his painful song intertwine with Hakkaku's and float its way up to the skies.

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Kouga's wolf pack, his avid followers, had all showed up at the organized demon burial. It was Hakkaku's idea; he had heard about it from Kagome whose old grandfather had recently passed away as well. From the girl Kouga used to like, Hakkaku learned that there was usually a ceremony for the dead followed by a burial or cremation.

Kouga liked the earth. Kouga liked the dirt, the hot springs, the greenery. Thus, he would be buried.

Nothing was said at Kouga's burial ceremony. Only low, whining howls were sent up as a final salute to the gallant wolf demon leader.

He was buried at the bottom of Lady Hot Springs. But not before Ginta and Hakkaku finally got their much sought-after, cherished "date" with the lovely lady – and their even lovelier wolf.

Each wolf had one half of Kouga's severed body which they held under the steaming, bubbling water. Ginta, the head; Hakkaku, the tail. Their salty tears mixed with the churning hot springs and Kouga's blood that had once ran through – a motley of liquids united sorrowfully, never to be united again. At least not in the way that mattered…

"Kouga…"

"Kouga…"

Zombie-like whispers slipped from the tongues of the heartbroken wolves, swimming up to the surface and popping at the top like boiled bubbles. Bubbles no different to those that belonged to the heated spring. The wolves on their haunches along the banks could not differentiate; they only lowered their heads, every now and then yipping sadly, as if hoping that by their mournful cry they could bring their leader back.

"Kouga…"

"Kouga…"

Kouga didn't come back. He wouldn't come back. He wouldn't even come back together into one whole, full, wolf piece. Sesshomaru had sliced him badly; his top and bottom half were never to be reunited, the inuyoukai had made sure of that.

_Kouga, you bull-headed idiot_… sighed Hakkaku. _If only you weren't so headstrong and outspoken… If only you had waited for us to tell you not to fight Sesshomaru… If only you were not… If only you were not the wolf I loved, you would not be dead…_

_Kouga, you fool…_ mourned Ginta. _If only you weren't so quick to rush into things… If only you didn't have such a smart mouth… If only you didn't have to go meddling in things you didn't have to meddle in… If only you were not the wolf I loved, you would be dead…_

Both Ginta and Hakkaku knew that if Kouga wasn't the way he was, he would probably still be alive. He would probably would never have met Inuyasha. He would probably have never had a short, odd fling with the hanyou's friend, Kagome. He would probably not have had his encounter with Kagura and Naraku. He would probably not be the wolf Ginta and Hakkaku loved at all.

Either way, the wolves lost. If Kouga was a good, placid wolf, Ginta and Hakkaku would not love him. If Kouga was the way he was, he would be dead. Such is life.

Coming back up for air after finally laying Kouga's body to rest at the bottom of Lady Hot Springs, Ginta and Hakkaku crawled back to land, where they were nuzzled by the noses of the soft, furry brown wolves sitting along the banks. Yet no matter how many licks and tender touches they received, Ginta and Hakkaku still felt cold and bare with their Kouga missing.

Hakkaku frowned as he stared at the bubbling hot springs. The dark, murky Lady was devouring Kouga bit by bit, eroding him, disposing of his torn and tattered body. _Damn you, Sesshomaru… This was not how Kouga was supposed to die!_

Ginta followed suit and frowned as well. But behind his brain, he was thinking… Remembering, actually. Memories were the only thing he had left now. _And what good can a memory do when I'm feeling lonely and lustful, sweating my nights out alone in a darkened cave? Intangible pleasure, tangible torment, Kouga. That's what you've left me with._

He could _see_ the caresses in his mind. See the kisses, the licks, the love nips, the filmy steam of hot breath against cold night air. He could remember every movement and action of Kouga's… but he could no longer feel it. Hakkaku looked over at his friend when he felt him crying.

A tawny wolf licked the tears of Ginta away, but they only kept coming, the saline drops replenishing themselves in bounty. Hakkaku began to cry as well.

Another howl pierced the dimming sky: Ginta's cry. But the howl carried words - heartfelt ones that everyone heard. Even Sesshomaru, Rin, and Jaken…

"Kouga, I will live for you. Because that's what you would have done if any of us died. I will live and I will fight. All I ask is that you heed us just this one time…

"Kouga… please… wait for us."

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--crazykitsune17-- 


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